OS in community planning? and Water into Wine

[Success]

Congratulations Alan, a great outcome and an important place for OS to
emerge...

Rod
  -----Original Message-----
  From: OSLIST [mailto:OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU]On Behalf Of Alan
Stewart
  Sent: Sunday, 21 May 2000 7:38
  To: OSLIST at LISTSERV.BOISESTATE.EDU
  Subject: Re: OS in community planning? and Water into Wine


  In the past few months I have had the opportunity to introduce OS to
planning processes in a local
  government authority in Adelaide, South Australia.

  As a 'feeler' for this unfamiliar approach, the CEO sugggested that OS be
used initially to find out
  what the residents of Marion, a city comprising several suburbs with
greater metropolitan Adelaide
  with a population of about 80 000, wished to see happen in their proposed
new cultural center.

  What emerged was a total surprise to the planners and architects. What
they had deemed to be important,
  as expressed in their planning document, such as a library and art
gallery, was not touched on in the
  community consultations based on OS.

  Instead, passion expressed by partipants was for elements which could be
construed as 'the heart
  of the cultural center,' such as a performing arts facility, a meeting
place for ideas, link with a local
  Aboriginal center, a drop in venue for young people, design of the
external environs.

  The chief planner commented in a closing circle: 'This form of
consultation has brought me into direct
  contact with the people who will be using the Center. I have learned much
and have greatly enjoyed the experience.'

  Several major design changes were decided by the elected members within a
fortnight of the OS sessions and the people
  of Marion notified accordingly and promptly.

  More details are contained in the article below. It was written by a
journalist who came along as 'hired help' and found himself
  drawn to participate in the OS process.

  And what the CEO and others perhaps had not appreciated is that a culture
of conversation has transformed not
  only a planning process and the assoctiated design of a major facility. It
is now impacting substantially on the whole
  operations of the elected officials and of the council staff.

  What further magic will emerge?

  Alan Stewart


  Conversing with passion

  Discussions about the future of major community facilities and how they
should be used can easily become shouting matches as different interest
groups push and shove their views.

  In such instances little is achieved other than a sense that everyone has
just wasted their time. There is no agreement or consensus, no positive
"next moves", and consequently no progress.

  In seeking to finesse the design of Marion’s proposed Cultural Centre, and
to better understand how the community might wish to use it, Marion Council
decided to take a more innovative, non-adversarial approach - using a
consultant "conversationalist" as a facilitator.

  The result was two public "conversations" held at Marion Council in late
February/early March, which are being followed by a series of Passion Café
meetings where people can present their views, passionately if they wish,
about the development of the Cultural Centre.

  Meetings facilitator Alan Stewart, who describes himself as a professional
conversationalist, says the process he adopts creates a space in which
people feel secure in talking openly – conversing - on what they feel
passionately about and in telling their stories.

  For most of the 60 or so Marion residents who took part in the first two
conversations, the experience was unconventional – but, by common consensus,
it worked. Views that might have been fiercely expressed and just as
fiercely contested in another environment were here considered calmly in an
atmosphere of mutual respect.

  Perhaps more importantly, some of the more significant views expressed
already have brought about major alterations to the Cultural Centre’s
layout.

  Far from being too little consultation too late in the piece, Marion
Councillor Wolf Bierbaum, who attended the second of the meetings, says they
were "quite timely" and had influenced the decision to include a 160 seat
multi-purpose theatre in the centre.

  "We’ve learned that economic rationalism - that is, money – is not the
only rationale for this development. We’d been limiting ourselves because of
the budget, but that’s not always the best way to go," he said.

  The lack of a venue to replace Pioneer Hall had been one of the most
consistent and strongest concerns. But there were many others: will there be
enough parking; will it be a place where kids will want to ‘hang out’; will
rain be captured from its huge roof; will it be welcoming; where are the
outdoor gathering spaces; will there be enough shade?

  In short, will it truly provide a much-needed heart for the city – or will
it just be a library, a café, some meeting rooms, and not much more?

  The relaxed, non-aggressive nature of the meetings encouraged people to
speak from their hearts, with passion. There to listen, and take part, were
senior council officers, planners and administrators, who were there,
frankly, because they wanted to be.

  "The council should not be seen as separate from the community," said
Acting CEO Terry Bruun, who introduced the meeting. "It must be
representative of the community."

  Councils all over Adelaide try hard to communicate with their residents,
usually with only limited success. Marion has sought a new path inspired by
the noted American economist and futurist Robert Theobald, who died soon
after visiting Australia late last year. Theobald was a champion of the
Reworking Tomorrow movement which, in the light of new social, political and
economic realities, challenges traditional structures put into place by
decision-makers.

  The idea of consulting with the community in a conversational context is
aimed at making people more confident in expressing what they feel strongly
about, more positive, and creating a new "collective intelligence" on which
council can draw.

  "I really love the collective wisdom that comes out, and the triggers that
provoke even more thought," says Wolf Bierbaum.

  He was reinforced by Marion Council’s cultural planner Don Chapman, who
told one of the meetings: "The community is not only smarter than council
employees think, you’re smarter than we can think. It’s marvellous how
lateral you can be. The solutions are all there."

  Although a series of Passion Café’s has been organised to continue this
important community conversation, it is hoped that the Cultural Centre
itself will become a venue for ongoing converse on community issues, and
that the process will step further into the community at more local levels.



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